August was a very busy (and very hot!) month in New Jersey. David, Adam and Jac arrived for a gloriously busy two weeks, and Lorraine had also arranged a 'business trip' to coincide (a business trip which involved extensive visits to local shops and malls, and for which Linda happily volunteered as an unpaid assistant).
Excursions included Six Flags, Camden Aquarium, Round Valley, Hurricane Harbour and Safari, Trenton Thunder, our friends the Toll's for a summer grill, Mercer Park and regular visits to the ice-box of our refrigerator at 4am, since we had no central air-conditioning and the temperature rarely got below 70 degrees throughout the entire month of August. Needless to say, tempers got a little frayed in the heat and proximity, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world. After all, brothers and sisters are made to fight, aren't they ?
At one point we had 10 people sleeping in our three bedroomed apartment when Sue and Alton and Helena Austin dropped in on their way to New York and Boston. Funny, you wait ages for a visitor then three turn up all at once.
All too soon David et al left for England, and we were left to ourselves and the deafening silence of our quiet apartment again.
Still, August wasn't all fun and games. As the clock ticked by on various aspects of our temporary status, time began to run out on our UK driving licences, and we had to make our way to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and take a written test which, together with the UK licence, would allow us to apply for a US Driving Licence. This was a definite rite of passage, since the US driving licence is such a significant piece of ID that many people apply for the licence with absolutely no intention of ever driving a car. The written test involves passing a minimum of 24 out of 30 multiple choice questions on a computerised test form. Despite extensive training, (well, a couple of night's of last minute cramming) Linda was one short of the required total. Chris, of course.....
September
In September we truly no longer felt like the innocents abroad for one very real reason - the Capons arrived. Tony, Sue, Joe and Louis arrived from Watford to make their way with Factiva and their home in Princeton, and we had the chance to turn the tables and provide welcome advice.
Mum also arrived for a visit destined to last a month (although, in the nicest possible way and for obvious reasons, it seemed to last forever). On Sunday 9th, we all travelled up to New York, and Linda and I suggested that we visit the World Trade Centre - after all, we'd been up the Empire State Building 4 times already this summer. But this was Mum's chance to do all those tourist things she wanted to do, so we headed to 34th Street and the Empire State, also taking in Times Square, a carriage ride round Central Park and, of course, a visit to Thomas' favourite store, F.A.O. Schwarz.
Two days later, the world changed forever.
In the aftermath of September 11th, life was disjointed, but there was an obvious feeling that most people would have to get on with life at some point. For us, we took ourselves off to Ocean City on the Jersey Shore for a long weekend, also giving Linda (and Mum) a first sight of Atlantic City. All along the boardwalk there were flags - in shop windows, chidren's buggies, lapels, everywhere. The Harvest Festival in Hopewell lost its fireworks after it couldn't get a permit launch them. It didn't stop the Festival itself being very wholesome and friendly. Mum flew home after we rearranged her flight. The original route between Newark and Stansted was dropped by Virgin Atlantic as air travel became suddenly very unatttractive.
October
The biggest setback to our new life occurred early in October, when in an untypical display of good management, Chris checked the bank account (our only source of funds in the US since we were still unable to get credit) and discovered that over $1600 had been stolen in the form of credit card fraud. So followed another unsatisfactory struggle with the world of American corporate customer service.
We had already learned never to unfavourably compare the service industry in the UK with the US after giving up on a promised $20 refund from our cable company after three months of trying. Anyway, resolving our fraud issue meant waiting for four days before doing ANYTHING in case the credit card vouchers weren't submitted, having our only bank card and details stopped, which prevented us using the online banking to check what was happening, being told to report the fraud itself to the local police - that is, the local police in Nassau County, NY State where the fraud was done, four hours on the telephone trying to get an affadavit form faxed to us which had not arrived after three weeks but needed to be returned same day... Summit Bank was taken over by Fleet shortly after this episode, and to be frank we weren't surprised - not that it's got any better.
Linda visited Debbie Smith's for a Stamping party - a small event which would prove to have pivotal significance...
In the middle of the month we were invited once again to the Toll's house in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, this time for the annual Tayback Chillifest. Every year Matt Toll arranges the event in honour of Vic Tayback, the actor who played Mel in Alice's Dinner (it was bigger in the US than the UK) as a friendly chilli-making competition - entries invited from everyone, plenty of sampling and lots for good beer to go along with it. There were also at least 20 kids running about the huge garden, so Thomas has a whale of a time (although we had to stop for McDonalds on the way back - Thomas doesn't eat chilli !)
Towards the end of the month, Dawn arrived for a visit. We were pleased that she was able to get a very good deal on an Air India flight - less pleased to discover when we arrived at Newark in time to meet her flight that Air India only fly to JFK - a good two hours drive away in Queens via a crowded Beltway. Luckily by the time we reached the terminal she hadn't turned round and got back on a plane, and the oversight was smoothed over as we opened her enormous suitcase to reveal a lifetime's supply of Marmite, Tea Bags and Cadbury's Dairy Milk.
Whilst Linda and Dawn took a trip to New York to see Music Man on Broadway, Thomas and Chris took part in the Hopewell Halloween Fancy Dress parade - Thomas as a very convincing Darth Vader, Chris as a less than convincing Spurs player in his soccer kit.
The real Halloween brought Trick or Treating round the town, with hoards of kids and almost every house decorated and offering candy - just like you'd expect it to be in the US.
